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Soooooooo Many Bibles!!!
Why would someone have so many versions of the Bible?? Aren't they all the same??
Sooooo I’ll just be honest…my family has a lot of Bibles. I mean A LOT. I think I have several myself, my husband has a few and my kids each have one. It’s not that I think the more Bibles I have the more protected I am (even though that would be really nice!). It’s really that each version says the same thing just a little differently, and sometimes that’s exactly what I need to help me understand what it is I am reading. For example, my husband and I both grew up with the New King James Version (NKJV), and I still really love how some of the verses read, but my husband tends to have a harder time understanding what the verses are saying. Recently, we started reading The Message (MSG) version online, and he really really liked it. It’s not translated verse for verse, but paraphrased, and when you read it, it sounds like you are having a conversation with someone rather than reading text that is thousands of years old.
Here’s an example of how different these two versions present:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
"5-7 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible." ~ 2 Timothy 1:5-7 MSG
We ended up purchasing The Message version, and keep it on hand when we are looking up verses or doing a Bible Study because it lends a different prerogative! And not just one that my husband and I can understand, but my 7 year old can typically understand it as well!
We also have The Passion Translation (TPT), which goes through the New Testament, with Psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon in other versions). I really enjoy this version because it translates the text into modern terms, and helps imply context so the reader has more clarity and understanding of what God’s Word is saying in that particular section. This is another great resource for those areas of Scripture you might get caught up on trying to decipher the language! Here is a familiar example from TPT:
"7For God will never give you a spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you might power, love and self-control." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 TPT
Another interesting (or not interesting, depending on who you talk to!) fact about me is I really enjoy history. Imagine my delight when I discovered the Archaeological Study Bible!! This Bible is so much fun because it gives you timelines and cultural and historical notes about the different books of the Bible, as well as describing some of the evidence that has been found to support the history of the Bible, like the Dead Sea Scrolls. If you are a history fan like me, I highly recommend this version! It’s written in the New International Version (NIV) though I have found some written in the English Standard Version as well, and here is an example from the text:
"7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
I think I’ve established on this blog that I enjoy being creative. Sometimes, that creative vein hits me in the noggin at random times, and it’s times like this when I turn to the Inspire: The Bible for Creative Journaling version. This Bible is SO. MUCH. FUN! It allows you to read Scripture, but also to color the passages that stand out, or to draw or write notes next to the verses you are focusing on! It has definitely been a lot of fun having this Bible on hand, and I truly recommend it for those who love to draw, color or write out what thoughts come to you as you read God’s Word.
For about the last year, my go-to version of the Bible has been The Jesus Centered Bible. This version of the Bible has been different from any I have seen before. I LOVE this Bible! It links the Old Testament to the New Testament, mainly to Jesus, by highlighting in blue all the verses in the Old Testament that point to Jesus. There is also a small blue box on the side of the page that briefly explains how the text relates back to Jesus! I think this is so exciting and I love how they tie the Old Testament and the New Testament together! And yes, for all you red letter folks, Jesus’s words are still in red!
To keep my kids engaged and learning about the Bible and Jesus at home, not just at Kids Church, we have The Beginner’s Bible for my 4 year old. She absolutely loves this Bible! She keeps it by her bed and asks me to read out of it most nights. The illustrations are well done, and the authors have done a great job at making the stories easy to understand. It is, of course, an abridged version of the Bible, and has all of the well known stories you learn in Kids Church. For my 7 year old we decided on The Adventure Bible for Early Readers. For all intents and purposes, it looks just like a Study Bible, and has different blurbs on various pages that offer more information. She really loves this Bible. In fact, she has borrowed some of my Bible highlighters (you can find them here) and gone through her own Bible to highlight the verses she has been learning. There have been many nights when I have gone to check on her before going to bed that I have found her asleep with her Bible open to a random book we’ve hardly talked about.
I think the most important thing when choosing a Bible is figuring out what is best for you! My recommendation is to get online and read through the different versions to see which one speaks to you, or find out which one makes the most sense. And yes, even though I do appreciate that I can access my Bible online, I do love having a real one in my hand. The greatest threat to a Bible is dust…if you’re not going to read it, what good will it do you?
The Jesus Centered Bible
The Passion Translation
The Message
NKJV
Archaeological Study Bible
Inspire: The Bible for Creative Journaling
The Beginner’s Bible
The Adventure Bible
Bible Highlighters
Paperage Journal
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